Introduction to Special Relativity

Description

In this course I will introduce you to Special Relativity, Understanding special relativity is the first step in mastering general relativity. Special Relativity, which is vastly different from the Newtonian world we live in. Deals with objects travelling at extremely high velocities near the speed of light. When objects travel at these enormous speeds, they enter a very strange world where time slows down, things get shorter and simple concepts like simultaneous to lose their meaning.

You will also be introduced to Riemannian geometry, which is closely related to topology. At this stage, think of Riemannian geometry as geometry on a curved surface, as opposed to Euclidean geometry which is geometry on a flat plane. In relativity, we interpret gravity as the curving of spacetime, and that is why we need to adapt our physics to working in curved spaces.

You will also encounter a very versatile and powerful mathematical tool called tensors. You will learn how to do some algebra and basic calculus using tensors. Tensors form the basis of the language used in general relativity, cosmology and it is also prominent in fluid dynamics

Concept of curvature, specifically the curvature of spaces. It is easy to imagine a curved surface, like a paraboloid or sphere, since we are three dimensional beings. However, in tensor analysis and relativity, we are considering the curvature of spaces with more than just two dimensions.

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